Caitlin Henderson, Jaina Buttari and Ana Stjepanovic each scored goals to lead Wickliffe to a 3-0 win over visiting Lutheran West on Thursday.
“Our team played at a high energy level today,” Wickliffe coach Steve Gribovicz said. “They seemed lighter on their feet, which helped their touch and movement. They came out motivated to start the game and pushed themselves hard the past few practices which showed in their overall play.”
The Blue Devils opened the season with a 2-0 loss at defending Division III state runner-up Kirtland. They learned a lot from that setback.
“They took the tactics from practice and put them together to move together well tonight,” Gribovicz said. “The team communicated well to make several adjustments throughout the game.”
Henderson scored in the 14th minute, Buttari made it 2-0 in the 29th minute and Stjepanovic closed out the scoring with her goal in the 36th minute.
Amy Apgar, Massey Andrykovitch and Camryn Klein each assisted on a goal.
“Our scoring plays had an assist on each,” Gribovicz said. “The extra pass in the setups were keys to each scoring play.”
Kaylee Lauriel recorded one save in finishing the night with a clean sheet.
Lutheran West’s Angelina Klopp recorded eight saves in the setback.
Wickliffe improved to 1-1 overall and 1-0 in the Chagrin Valley Conference Metro Division while the Longhorns dropped to 1-1, 0-1.
